conflict

08.05.12

Video May Show Captive Iranians

Al Arabiya, EPA / Landov

A video possibly of Iranian pilgrims abducted in Damascus on Friday has emerged. Aired on the station Al Arabiya, the footage purports to show the group of Iranians surrounded by Syrian rebels—including one who says that the Iranians include members of the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guard and that they were on a “reconnaissance mission.” Forty-eight people were abducted during a visit to a shrine in Syria, Iranian state media said, and government officials reportedly requested help from Turkey and Qatar to secure the group’s freedom.